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Gluten-Free Sparkling Apple-Cranberry Bundt Cake is a simply elegant holiday dessert recipe that is infused with Sparkling Apple-Cranberry flavor in the pound cake recipe, glaze, and icing. If you don’t need a gluten free cake recipe, there’s also instructions for a traditional cake recipe with all-purpose flour so this apple bundt cake can be part of any Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, or other holiday menu!

Disclaimer: This recipe was developed through a sponsored partnership with Martinelli’s. As always, all opinions are my own.

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“Selective Simplification” is how I am going to approach the holiday season this year. It feels like there is a tendency to go with one extreme or the other. Some people spend all of November and December over-planning, over-spending, over-cooking, over-eating, over-decorating so that everything is over-the-top and you end up overtired. On the other hand, maybe those that have spent too many years overdoing it are just wiped out, so they go with the super-minimalist approach such that it feels like any other time of the year, or, even worse, they go all Scrooge on everyone from the day the decorations arrive in the stores to the day the Christmas tree is hauled away.

I think subconsciously I always try to hit the happy medium, but this year I’m going to make it my focus. For Thanksgiving, of course we will roast a turkey and I’ll make Corn Pudding and my Crustless Pumpkin Pie, but if my family is just as happy with canned biscuits and cranberry sauce versus rolls from scratch and my Cinnamon Orange Cranberry Sauce that I slowly simmer, I’m going to go with it. And since my sister offered to pick up an apple pie from a local orchard, then why am I going to fight with pie crust, which has always proven to be my nemesis?

Black Friday? Umm, no, unless you are talking about the sales I can find online while I am relaxing and spending time with my family, plus getting ready to go to a college football game on Saturday. I’d rather watch tackles on the field than people tackling each other in shopping malls.

I love to bake cookies… to a point. When I had no kids, large Christmas family gatherings, and an office full of people who would happily eat my fourteen different types of cookies (each batch making anywhere from three to six dozen), I baked and baked and baked. Now, if I only make the family favorites like Snickerdoodles and Snowballs, everyone is still just as happy. So that’s what I’ll do.

My tree will be meticulously decorated with each and every special ornament adorning it and not an empty spot to be seen, but a few years ago I invested in an artificial, pre-lit tree because the four of us would rather be in the warmth of our home spending the time decorating it than roaming around a tree farm or tree stand in the cold trying to find the right tree that’s the right size that doesn’t have weird bare spots. I’d also rather spend my time putting up all of my other favorite decorations around the house than vacuuming up pine needles.

And yes, we are going to have a wee bitty elf roaming around our house through the month of December because it makes my boys’ eyes light up and fills them with joy. But is that elf going to be sprinkling glitter around the kitchen, making flour snow angels, or having marshmallow snowball fights that this mama will have to clean up? Nope!

Also, you know what? Even dessert can be simple but extra-special, like this…

There’s something about the curves and edges of a bundt cake that makes it the true centerpiece of the dessert table. It’s gorgeous just as it is when you successfully turn it out of the pan. But when you brush it with a sweet glaze, let some icing drip down the sides, or in this case, both, it becomes a true showstopper. And with juicy bits of apple and just a hint of cinnamon, this Sparkling Apple-Cranberry Bundt Cake has all the flavors and aromas you love this time of the year. It truly makes the house smell heavenly as it bakes.

And you know what else makes this bundt cake recipe a little extra special?

Martinelli’s Sparkling Apple-Cranberry Juice infuses every nook and cranny of this bundt cake. It’s stirred into the batter, simmered into the glaze and, and whisked into the icing so that you get that burst of fruity flavor in every bite. Martinelli’s Sparkling Juices and Cider are my favorite way to add a little special sparkle to the holiday season, which makes them the perfect addition to this holiday dessert recipe. And if you’d like to change it up while still incorporating your favorite seasonal flavors, you could also use Sparkling Apple-Pear, Sparkling Apple-Pomegranate, or even classic Sparkling Apple Cider.

A few baking tips for this traditional or gluten-free Sparkling Apple-Cranberry Bundt Cake…

If you are a gluten-free baker, you probably already have the ingredients you need. But for those that aren’t, it is simply brown rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, and xanthan gum, which are all things you can find pretty easily even in regular grocery stores these days. So if you are baking for a friend or family member with Celiac disease or a gluten allergy, have no fear. But if you just want to use regular all-purpose flour, I give you those instructions as well. There isn’t much difference, but you will have to adjust the oven temperature, and I do suggest taking about a tablespoon of the all-purpose flour and tossing the apples in it to keep them from sinking. The gluten-free batter is thicker, so this doesn’t become a problem.

Also, as with all bundt cakes, grease the pan very well. I don’t use shortening for many things, but when it comes to greasing a bundt pan, I do. Many people recommend the cooking spray with flour in it, but this can’t be used for those that are baking gluten free. So in that case, just grease it well, let it cool a bit, and it should slide right out.

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Here’s the Gluten-Free Sparkling Apple-Cranberry Bundt Cake recipe…

A simply elegant holiday dessert recipe that is infused with Sparkling Apple-Cranberry flavor in the pound cake recipe, glaze, and icing. There is also an option for a traditional recipe with all-purpose flour.

In a large bowl, on medium speed beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until fluffy and crumbly.

Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and beat again on medium speed until smooth, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed.

Add the Martinelli’s Sparkling Apple-Cranberry Juice and Greek yogurt, and on low until just combined.

Add the flour mixture and beat on low until just combined. It's fine to leave some flour on the side of the bowl.

Fold in apples, scraping the sides of the bowl as you fold them in.

Pour the batter in the greased bundt pan and bake for 60-65 minutes, or until golden brown, and a toothpick comes out clean or with just a couple crumbs attached.

While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze. Heat the sugar and champagne in a small saucepan over medium heat until it boiling. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Remove the came from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then invert to gently remove the cake from the pan, loosening the edges slightly with a spatula or tapping on the outside of the pan if necessary.

Using a pastry brush, brush the glaze over the cake to cover it completely, then let the cake cool to room temperature.

To make the icing, place the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and 1 tablespoon of Martinelli’s Sparkling Apple-Cranberry Juice in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Add more Martinelli’s Sparkling Apple-Cranberry Juice about a teaspoon at a time to make an icing that is thick but pourable.

Pour the icing of the cake and let it drip down the sides. Store the cake in a cool place or the refrigerator to set the icing. It will keep covered for a few days.

Notes

For the traditional recipe with all-purpose flour, use 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour in place of the other flours, starches, and xanthan gum. Prior to sifting the dry ingredients together, toss the apples in one tablespoon of the flour and set aside. Bake at 350°F for 60-65 minutes.

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Comments

Hi April, I haven’t ever made the bundt cake that way, but I have used the 1:1 flour in other recipes. It’s worth trying, but I guarantee any results one way or the other. Let me know how it turns out for you!